United Nations Development Programme

UN attack in Kabul

Statement by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan Kai Eide

Video Reportage from AP

This is a very dark day for the UN in Afghanistan. I strongly condemn the attack this morning on a guest house here in Kabul, for which the Taliban has claimed responsibility.

This brutal attack has cost the lives of at least five UN staff and injured at least nine others. I can of course not provide more details concerning nationalities or names at this stage. My profound condolences go to the families and friends of those who have been victims of this attack. However, this is a tragic loss to each and every member of the UN family in Afghanistan.

The UN has been in Afghanistan for more than half a century. We have been here to serve the Afghan people. Such attacks by any insurgency group are therefore not only an attack against the UN family but also against the Afghan people and those who need our help the most.

This attack will not deter the UN from continuing all its work to reconstruct a war-torn country and to build a better future for all Afghans. We will remain committed to the people of Afghanistan. We do of course review our security measures regularly in light of the prevailing security situation. We will in light of this morning’s tragedy look at whether other appropriate measures need to be taken to protect all our staff.